Topics such as tax cuts, economic development incentives and childcare for working parents framed a panel discussion at the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s first legislative event of the year Friday at Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills.

About 230 people attended the Legislative Briefing Breakfast, a regular Chamber event that gives local elected officials a chance to provide an outlook on the legislative session and share their top priorities for the remainder of the year. The event was presented by Paycom.

Moderated by Tina Parkhill, Chamber vice chair of government affairs and owner of Parkhill’s Liquors and Wine South, the panel featured House Speaker Charles McCall; Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat; Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Kevin Matthews; and House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson.

Friday’s gathering also heard about the aerospace-defense sector from Oklahoma Department of Commerce Interim Director Hopper Smith and updates from local elected officials in attendance.

Matthews and Munson cited funding education and keeping public money in public schools as priorities.

Munson said she’s also in favor of tax credits supporting employers who focus on childcare, as well as expanding the childcare workforce to ensure people in that sector are being paid a living wage.

“When you have access to affordable childcare, workforce can grow because people can get back into their jobs,” she said. 

On the subject of a state income tax cut, McCall said backing one is the right thing to do, particularly when the state has roughly $4 billion in reserves.

“When we look in the rear-view mirror on what we needed to weather that four-year downturn that reached its peak in 2018, we needed $3.8 billion in reserves,” McCall said. “Had we had $3.8 million in reserves, we could have fully ridden out that cycle. We would have been fine. We didn’t.

“…A quarter-of-a-cent represents $250 million dollars on an annualized basis. I believe that cutting taxes is what we need to do, and I think our economy will be fine. When you’re cutting your state income tax, you are lowering that taxation on productivity. We know what people do with money. They save very little of it and spend most of it. That money goes right back into the economy. It bounces around and comes back to the state of Oklahoma.” 

McCall added that the state’s robust rainy-day fund bolsters its ability to attract business.

“The great thing about Oklahoma and the position we’re in now is that we have billions of dollars sitting in reserves,” he said. “Companies are taking note of that. I think Oklahoma can be very selective, and I think we can be very aggressive in going out and recruiting. We have the ability to offer some incentives that don’t obligate our future legislatures.”

Matthews said another way to attract commerce is putting money into the state’s public school system.

“When we support and fund those (schools) effectively and pay teachers well, I think companies look at that,” he said.